The invention relates to an assembly for holding and/or treating particulate material. The invention is particularly applicable to the treatment of comminuted cellulosic material, such as wood chips for the production of paper pulp. Wood chips, and other like particulate materials, have a tendency to hang-up in a container when funnelled down to a discharge opening at the container bottom. In order to alleviate this problem a vibratory structure is conventionally provided at the container discharge opening, such a structure being shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,440, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Also in the pulp and paper industry it is convenient to effect steaming of the wood chips, or the like, when within the storage container, commonly referred to as a "chips bin".
According to the present invention a storage container is provided for particulate material, particularly cellulosic fibrous particulate material such as wood chips, which is eminently effective in preventing hang-ups of particulate material therein. The discharge is effective, according to the present invention, without the necessity of an exterior rubber seal between a vibratory discharge component and stationary container, such as is present in the conventional prior art, and the invention is particularly applicable to containers having large dimensions (e.g. diameters of about 5-10 meters), and performs its intended function over long periods of time without substantial down-time.
Utilizing the invention it is also possible to effectively introduce a treatment fluid into the material being passed therethrough. Particularly where the particulate material is cellulosic fibrous material, such as wood chips, a treatment fluid such as steam is desirably introduced in the storage container itself to effect pre-treatment of the material before passing onto other stages in a pulping process.
The invention also relates to a method of handling particulate material, particularly cellulosic fibrous material such as wood chips, in an effective manner to provide effective discharge thereof. The method according to the invention is particularly directed to the steaming of the cellulosic fibrous material as it passes through a container.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an assembly and method for the effective discharge, and/or treatment, of particulate material through and from a container. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.